84% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
First printed in John Heywood's A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber... of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue (1546), in a marriage-caution context. Possibly older (root informally traced to c.1350).
Work
John Heywood's Dialogue of Proverbs
Occasion
1546
Sources checked
phrases.org.ukChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Heywood 1546 first print; earlier c.1350 root noted
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